The present invention relates to an information transmission method, a information display method and an information display apparatus that displays content information (e.g., Internet content information or related content information) multiplexed in a television broadcast, for example.
Various services that utilize the Internet have become available recently. A user can enjoy such services as information provision by accessing servers that provide services on the Internet. However, services on the Internet are based upon communications processing. Basically, a communications channel must be set up between a service provider and a service recipient, so the service provision is limited quantitatively.
By contrast, broadcasting has the merit of being able to provide information simultaneously to an unspecified multitude of recipients within the range of the broadcast signal. The present invention provides technology that is suitable for allowing many recipients to effectively utilize Internet content information, by multiplexing the Internet content information or related information in the television broadcast.
Furthermore, teletext broadcasting technology is related to the present invention. The teletext broadcasting technology broadcasts characters in addition to the normal broadcast, by inserting the character information in the vertical blanking interval of the television broadcast.
According to one aspect of the present invention, an information transmission and display method comprises the steps of: multiplexing, a broadcast signal, source information that specifies a source of certain content information, said source information not being included in content information; transmitting the multiplexed broadcast signal; receiving the multiplexed broadcast signal; extracting the source information from the multiplexed broadcast signal; retrieving the certain content information from the source, based upon the source information; and displaying on a display device at least a part of the certain content information received from the source.
According to this configuration, based upon this source information, it is possible to receive content information from a medium other than the broadcast signal, and it is possible to utilize the content information by overcoming the restriction of the broadcast signal multiplexing capacity.
In this configuration, the broadcast signal may be a television broadcast signal. The source information may be multiplexed by inserting it into vertical blanking intervals of a television broadcast signal. The source may be a broadcast signal different from the multiplexed broadcast signal transmitted from a satellite. The different broadcast signal may be a broadcast signal transmitted by wire. The source information may be information stored in an information storage device provided on the side that receives the multiplexed broadcast signal.
Further, the content information may be hypertext. Still further, may contain a program code.
Also, according to another aspect of the present invention the second technical feature, an information display apparatus comprises: means for receiving a broadcast signal having source information multiplexed therein, said source information specifying a source of certain content information, and not being included in content information; means for extracting the source information from the received broadcast signal; means for retrieving the certain content information from the source, based upon the source information; a display device; and, means for displaying at least a part of the certain content information on the display device.
Also, according to yet another aspect of the present invention, an information transmission and display method comprises the steps of: transmitting a broadcast signal that contains source information that specifies a source of certain content information, said source information no being included in content information; receiving the broadcast signal; extracting the source information from the broadcast signal; receiving the certain content information from the source, based upon the source information; and displaying on a display device, at least a part of the certain content information received from the source.
Also, according to a still further aspect of the present invention, an information display device comprises: means for receiving a broadcast signal containing source information that specifies a source of certain content information, said source information not being included in content information; means for extracting the source information from the received broadcast signal; means for retrieving the certain content information from the source, based upon the source information; a display device; and means for displaying at least a part of the certain content information on the display device.
Also, the present invention can be implemented as a program product.